Preparation of antioxidant active films based on chitosan: diffusivity study of α-tocopherol into food simulants.

New active films based on chitosan and polycaprolactone blends and containing α-tocopherol were designed for food packaging applications. Mechanical properties, stability against temperature and swelling degree in 50 % ethanol (v/v) were evaluated. Migration kinetics of α-tocopherol from the developed films into butter and food simulants [50 % ethanol (v/v), 95 % ethanol (v/v), and isooctane] at different temperatures were studied. α-Tocopherol was quantified in the food simulants by means of high performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection at 292 nm. The proposed method exhibited a good sensitivity with a limit of detection of 0.1 mg/L. The kinetics release of α-tocopherol was characterized by determining the partition and the diffusion coefficients by using a mathematical modeling based on Fick's Second Law. The diffusion coefficients obtained ranged between 1.03 × 10(-13) and 2.24 × 10(-12) cm(2)/s for 95 % ethanol (v/v) at 4 and 20 °C, respectively. Developed films maintained the antioxidant activity for more than 20 days.

Determination of hexanal as indicator of the lipidic oxidation state in potato crisps using gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography.

Hexanal (an oxidative state indicator) formed in the headspace of potato crisps during storage was evaluated using two different procedures. First, solid-phase microextraction, an innovative sampling preparation methodology was used. It consisted on the absorption of analytes directly from samples and subsequent thermal desorption on the gas chromatograph (GC) injector. Then, a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic technique (HPLC) was employed to quantify hexanal in the form of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone derivative. Methods were evaluated in what concerns to validation parameters such as linearity, repeatibility and detection limit. GC (LOD = 1 ng/ml) method resulted in more sensitive method than HPLC (LOD = 9 ng/ml). The most suitable technique for hexanal measurement was selected.

Comparison between high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography methods for fatty acid identification and quantification in potato crisps.

A reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HLPC) method was compared with a gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) method for determining fatty acids in potato crisps. Different extraction procedures were used. Fatty acids were quantified by linear regression. Both methods presented good precision (R.S.D. < or = 5.88%) and recovery (> or = 82.31%). The precision using HPLC method was slightly better than for GC-FID method. There was good agreement between the fatty acid composition of potato crisps analysed by both methods. For most purposes the HPLC method would be better. However, when more fatty acids need to be analysed, GC is a more suitable method.

Evaluating the migration of ingredients from active packaging and development of dedicated methods: a study of two iron-based oxygen absorbers.

The behaviour of two commercial oxygen-scavenging products with respect to migration of active ingredients into foodstuffs was investigated. Migrants were identified, and by using appropriate analytical methods, migration was determined in a variety of liquid, solid or gelled food simulants and foods. Simulants were chosen to cover a range of water activities and viscosities. Foods and the gelled food simulant agar were packed with and without vacuum, and with the oxygen scavenger in various locations relative to the packed food. The main migrants, as identified by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectrometry were Na(+) and Cl(-) in non-acidic aqueous simulants, and Na(+), Cl(-) and Fe(2+) in 3% acetic acid. Migration into aqueous simulants exceeded the current European Union limit for total migration from plastic materials (assumed to be currently applicable to these systems) and was probably excessive by any reasonable standard. However, neither oxygen scavenger appeared to release significant quantities of migrants into solid foods when the scavenger was properly located in the package and the packing process does not favour the contents becoming wet by water released from the food.

Overall migration and specific migration of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether monomer and m-xylylenediamine hardener from an optimized epoxy-amine formulation into water-based food simulants.

The overall and specific migrations of BADGE n = 0 monomer and m-XDA hardener from a BEPOX LAB 889 (Gairesa internal code), epoxy system cured at room temperature, into three water-based food simulants are studied. Hydrolysis of BADGE n = 0 was observed in all of these simulants, giving more polar products. We thus propose changing the EEC Directives, which at present only legislate for levels of BADGE n = 0 monomer in the simulants, to include the hydrolysis products of BADGE monomers. Another alternative would be to express all the migration levels due to BADGE and its derived products in terms of BADGE itself.

Sensitive and rapid reversed-phase liquid chromatography-fluorescence method for determining bisphenol A diglycidyl ether in aqueous-based food simulants.

A method has been developed for determination of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) in 3 aqueous-based food simulants: water, 15% (v/v) ethanol, and 3% (w/v) acetic acid. BADGE is extracted with C18 cartridges and the extract is concentrated under a stream of nitrogen. BADGE is quantitated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Relative precision at 200 micrograms/L was 3.4%, the detection limit of the method was 0.1 micrograms/L, and recoveries of spiking concentrations from 1 to 8 micrograms/L were nearly 100%. Relative standard deviations for the method ranged from 3.5 to 5.9%, depending on the identity of the spiked aqueous-based food simulant.